Preparation of a Macroporous Poly(L-lactide) Scaffold by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of a PLLA/1,4-Dioxane/Water Ternary System in the Presence of NaCl

Abstract

A novel method for preparing regular and highly interconnected macroporous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds is presented. Scaffolds with pore sizes ranging from 50 to 300 μm were fabricated from a PLLA/1,4-dioxane/water ternary system via a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) in the presence of small amounts of NaCl (⩽0.1 wt.-%). The addition of salt had the following effects. The cloud-point temperature was raised because of a salt-out effect. Spinodal decomposition was induced at a higher temperature with a large quench depth. Gelation due to the crystallization of PLLA was prevented to a large extent, which led to the creation of the highly interconnected macropores required for effective cell penetration.